Business Licenses for Vehicle Dealers

You must have a new vehicle dealer license if you:

• Sell or offer new motor vehicles for sale
• Display new motor vehicles for sale to the public
• Act as a dealer for a vehicle manufacturer

You may not sell new vehicles in Maryland without a valid dealer license issued by the MVA.

You must be licensed as an emergency vehicle dealer if you buy, sell, lease or otherwise deal in vehicles designed or equipped for emergency use. Emergency vehicles include:

• Police vehicles
• Fire vehicles
• Ambulances
• Other authorized emergency vehicles

You must have a motorcycle dealer license if you:

• Buy, sell, or exchange motorcycles
• Offer motorcycles for sale to the public
• Display motorcycles for sale as a business

You must have a trailer dealer license if you:

• Buy, sell, or exchange trailers for profit
• Offer trailers for sale to the public
• Advertise yourself as a trailer dealer

You must have a used vehicle dealer license if you:

• Sell or offer used vehicles for sale
• Buy vehicles to resell for profit
• Display used vehicles for sale
• Advertise yourself as a used vehicle dealer

This includes sales at a lot, an office, or another approved business location.

A wholesaler is a person or business that buys vehicles for resale and sells them only to licensed dealers — not directly to the public.

If you plan to sell vehicles to the public, you must apply for a different dealer license.

Follow the steps above for the new location, starting with the Business Licensing Packet - Dealer's License - PDF - 845.68 KB application. Contact Business Licensing & Compliance - PDF - 845.68 KB if you have further issues or questions about adding a location.

Submit the following information and fees to Business Licensing & Compliance - PDF - 845.68 KB:

• A completed application for Business Licensing Packet - Dealer's License - PDF - 845.68 KB adding the new franchise.
• Franchise approval letter(s) from the licensed manufacture giving you permission to sell their vehicle. This letter must have the dealership's full name and address.
• Criminal Record Request Forms must be completed for all officers on the application if the latest one on file is more than five years old.
• The present Dealer’s Wall License must be submitted with packet.
• The applicable fee for a corrected Dealer’s Wall License.

Once the addition of a franchise has been approved, the new dealer license will be available for printing on the Business Portal.

Contact Business Licensing & Compliance - PDF - 845.68 KB if you have further issues or questions about adding (or deleting) a franchise.
 

The Business Licensing and Compliance division will send you a renewal notice about 60 days prior to the expiration date of your licenses. If you do not receive a renewal notice, please contact the Business Licensing and Compliance division.

1. Complete the Business License Renewal via the Business Portal. You must submit it at least 15 working days prior to your license expiration date.
2. Once your renewal request has been approved, you will be notified through the Business Portal that the renewal fee is available for payment.
3. Once paid, the new wall license will be available for printing directly on the Business Portal, the updated gratis sales ID card will be mailed to the business address as well as the registration cards and stickers.

Please note:

• The MVA will assume your dealership is going out of business if you do not request renewal before your expiration date.
• 30 days past expiration, the account will no longer be eligible for renewal. All Maryland State properties must be surrendered, including, but not limited to, wall license, sales licenses, dealer plates, etc.  All ERT Inventory must be surrendered to the MVA Warehouse.
• If another dealer license is desired, a new, complete application packet must be submitted for review.

Maryland law requires that you report all changes affecting your dealership license to the MVA within 30 days after the change occurs. 

• You can initiate a name or address changes in the Business Portal, but there are additional steps to complete the change. You will be contacted by the Business Licensing and Compliance division to complete next steps:
  • Packet of forms to be completed: The documents required vary by the type of change involved.
  • Instructions for other actions that you must take in order to request the change
• Once your change request has been reviewed and approved, the change fee will be available for payment in the Business Portal.  The new wall license will be available for printing directly on the Business Portal, the updated sales ID card will be mailed to the business address as well as the registration cards and stickers (if applicable, depending on the type of change).
• Need more help? Co​ntact the Business Licensing and Compliance division.

Co​ntact the Business Licensing and Compliance division, as soon as possible, and report the corrections needed. The unit will send you instructions with next steps to be completed to request the corrections.

Once your correction request has been reviewed and approved, the new wall license will be available for printing directly on the Business Portal (if applicable, depending on the type of change), the updated sales ID card will be mailed to the business address as well as the registration cards and stickers (if applicable, depending on the type of change).

You can request a duplicate Vehicle Dealer’s and/or Salesperson’s License using the Business Portal. The duplicate license fee will be paid on the Business Portal.

Once your duplicate license request has been reviewed and approved, the new wall license will be available for printing directly on the Business Portal (if applicable, depending on the type of request), the updated sales ID card will be mailed to the business address (if applicable, depending on the type of request).

Co​ntact the Business Licensing and Compliance division if you need assistance.

If your dealership is forced out of business, the Business Licensing and Compliance division will contact you. Otherwise, co​ntact the Business Licensing and Compliance division and indicate that you are going out of business. 

The Business Licensing and Compliance division will advise you which materials must be returned to the MVA. Typically, you must return the following items which are considered State properties:

• New Vehicle Dealer License (existing) - This document is often referred to as a “wall license”.
• Vehicle Sales License – Owner (existing) - This document is often referred to as a “gratis salesman license”.
• Interchangeable tags - All tags must be returned to an MVA branch office. The receipts showing that you returned the tags then must be submitted to the Business Licensing and Compliance division.
• Unused Temporary Registration Permits (form #CS-124) - If some of these items are not returned, the dealer must submit a statement indicating which items are missing.
• Unused MVA Odometer Disclosure forms (form #VR-197) - If some of these items are not returned, the dealer must submit a statement indicating which items are missing.
• Unused Dealer’s Bill of Sale and/or Reassignment for New and Used Vehicles (form #VR-182) - If some of these items are not returned, the dealer must submit a statement indicating which items are missing.
• Paid Salesman Licenses – If you employed salesmen, then their licenses, issued by the MVA, must be returned.
• ERT Inventory - Notify your ERT Vendor and/or the MVA Warehouse to retrieve ERT Inventory